The first page of a search engine is like a gold mine. Many try to reach there, but only a few manage to actually succeed. But the moment you complete such a mammoth task, you see that your website ranking has dropped like a stone from the top of a hill, and for no apparent reasons. This might be because your website was hacked!!

Why do hackers hack?

If your website was hacked, don’t assume that this was a cheap trick by some nerdy teenagers. Most probably these are serious hackers. They want to get rich real quick and to succeed in their intentions they will use your passwords, your identity, your banking info, your debit & credit card info and anything else that’ll help them make a hole in your pocket.

They also hack websites or PCs to promote and operate their illegal activities such as pirated movies, music, games, hacked software and what not.

So the question is – Why did they hack your website for such activities when it can be performed via any website!!

Because they want to cash in on the credibility of your website. Establishing an online business commands hard work which they don’t want to do. They just want to utilize the reputation that your website has, to earn more money.

How they do it?

Let me explain this in the simplest way possible. Hackers identify a weakness in the security system which is called vulnerability. They then create software that exploits the vulnerability & sends a program into the web to find out other websites with vulnerable software.  If your website also has such vulnerable software it will get attacked & hacked. After taking complete command over your website, the hacker will either install malware or spam your website.

The difference between spam and malware

Spam is a text that is filled with links to the hacker’s website. A code with such spammy links is placed deep inside your website and it keeps redirecting your users to their websites.

Malware takes over your website and uses it to spread virus. It not only infects your website & computer, but also spreads the infection in cyberspace. Malware is hackers’ favorite because it provides them with sensitive information of many people.

Getting blacklisted by Google

Hackers will not only steal money from you, but they will also make all your efforts go in vain because Google blacklists websites which show spammy behavior. Therefore, if your website gets hacked, you will be blacklisted and your site will touch a new low with every passing minute. And if that happens, then you can expect to lose about 95% of your traffic!!  Approximately 10,000 people suffer from such issues on a daily basis.

Google is at a war with spammy websites. It actively hunts down such websites and changes the search algorithm frequently.

Is your website hacked?

If you see a warning like this on your website’s search results, it means you have been hacked:

If you click on the link anyway, you will see this message:

If this happens to your websites, then be sure that almost 90% users will take a U-turn.

How to fix & prevent your website from hackers

• Fixing a hack is a costly deal because experts will command thousands of dollars to fix it & don’t forget the lost revenue from users being afraid to visit your website.
• Updated websites have fewer chances of getting hacked as compared to the outdated ones. So keep your website and all the software you use updated.
• Backup your website frequently.
• It is better to spend a few hundred dollars in monitoring and security software than getting hacked & paying thousands of dollars.

Summary

Take preventive actions now and stay safe. Remember the great saying “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. To deal exactly with these kind of issues, we have our own WordPress Website Maintenance packages starting at just $24.99/month so you don’t have to worry about such problems and focus more on growing your business.

For more information, you can email us at sales@ebrandz.com or call 1-888-545-0616 (Toll-Free). Our sales reps would be in touch with you within 24 business hours.